Nakdong Estuary & Eco-Park, March 22

Following the rain and snow of the 21st, a sudden progression into spring. In the estuary, few ducks, swans or gulls remain (best being seven Saunders’s Gull) – instead at least 60 Far Eastern Curlew and eight Bar-tailed Godwit. One White-tailed Eagle also present.

Above the estuary barrage, in reed and ponds and open fields, a total of six Garganey (including several displaying males), 13 Little Ringed Plover and further signs of spring with several group of Barn Swallow (probably 60 seen during the afternoon) and three Pacific Swift.

Other likely early northbound migrants included 200 Black-headed Gull, c. 40 Dusky and one Naumann’s Thrush, 4+ Common Starling and 60+ Buff-bellied Pipit (a slight increase on the numbers here a few weeks ago).

Several of the other birds seen during several hours of walking the trails were likely lingering over-winterers, however, including 860 Taiga Bean Goose, two Japanese Quail, single Northern Lapwing and three Common Snipe, a single Eurasian Hoopoe, and 15+ Pallas’s Reed Bunting, many of which are now progressing well into breeding plumage (and four of which were watched flycatching, launching out several meters from a clump of reed: my first time to see this behaviour).